Student's success is teacher's success

Last year around this time I was so lugubrious. I received the news that Kealy Bannon took up English Literature as her major in college. Kealy was the best of the batch. She was the eighth student of mine to take up a non-STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) major. I have nothing against humanities. In fact, reading fiction is one of my favorite pastimes. I am also part of the poetry club of our locality. My major issue here was that I would not have a contribution to the higher education and career of these students. Who am I? I am a robotics and technology teacher. I teach New York Public School students robotics and technology.

If we look around, we find that the advances in science and technology are molding almost every aspect of human lives. The way sectors like education, transportation, work, commerce, healthcare, and entertainment are undergoing metamorphosis is unimaginable. This colossal societal transformation is generating a burgeoning demand for a workforce that is well-trained in STEM fields. To match up to this demand, there is a desideratum to expose all students in STEM disciplines focusing on the use of advanced technologies. Educating and mustering students for success in the technology-rich environment of the workplace necessitates teachers who have the expertise and proficiency to adapt and incorporate updated technologies in the classroom. In order to contribute to this growing need, I took the noble job of teaching fundamental technological and robotics concepts to high school students.

One thought bothered me a lot. Why was I not being able to motivate the students to take technical subjects? Even though I had a genuine interest in robotics during my school days, it was the stimulating speech of my teacher which propelled me to take robotics as my major during my undergraduate. I would never forget her golden words. "A robotics revolution is taking place. Don’t you guys want to be part of the revolution?" Many including me replied yes- my yes had conviction. Studying robotics was one of the best decisions of my life and I came out with flying colors. Even before graduation, I got the job of a robotics teacher. I enjoyed teaching and loved to show practical applications of theoretical concepts. It provided me with complacency to be able to illuminate the thirsty minds of the students. It offered me the opportunity to be part of nation-building. It endowed me with the gratification of interacting with creative minds. I loved the job, and I performed it with utmost dedication. With so many of my students settling with non-STEM options, I felt there was a need for introspection of my abilities. My technological foundation was strong. Were my pedagogical skills not up to the mark? Was there a deficiency in the curriculum development finesse? It was unethical to force students to take a subject of my choice. I strongly believed that students should be given the absolute liberty to choose their major. I refrained from using psychological tricks to swivel the students to take up robotics.

My pharyngeal reflex was not allowing me to gulp the fact that so many of my students were opting for non-STEM subjects. The numbers kept on increasing. I used to have dreams that my students would turn out to be future Elon Musks and Steve Jobs. I needed to console myself by saying that those were wishful thinking, insane dreams, and absurd expectations. I should try to find solace in the verity that the basic knowledge in robotics that I imparted to them would enable them to use robots at their homes and workplaces easily.

I designed the curriculum of the course following careful deliberations with other robotics educationists. The purpose was to have a comprehensive robotics course such that the students could make the most of it. After extensive consultations and iterations, I formulated an exhaustive curriculum and training policy, and I was flexible to modify the curriculum depending on the progress of the class. I endeavored to make the classroom atmosphere amiable and appropriate for learning. For each topic I delivered a theoretical lecture to the class along with showing mathematical derivations if any. Then the students performed hands-on activities on the topic so that their understanding became concrete. I constantly evaluated their progress through tests. If I found some students lagging, I used to give them special attention. All my efforts were going to waste. On top of that, Covid induced a concomitant rise in the frustration levels. The last two years have been the most challenging for me because of remote online classes. A huge chunk of my curriculum involved hands-on sessions where the students had to build and program robots and perform experiments with them. The pandemic threw everything into disarray.

Two months back I received a card from Ben Stuart. It contained a letter of appreciation. Ben was a student of my first batch. I clearly remembered him. How could I forget my students, that too belonging to the first batch? I remembered Ben used to be talkative, energetic, and restless. He launched his own robotics-based startup company. The company easily broke even, and it was showing huge potential. The letter was so touching. He thanked me for inspiring him and teaching him the most essential and fundamental robotics concepts. According to the letter, I am the one who directed him towards the right path. I felt relieved. The good news kept on pouring. I came to know that this year in the Fall session several of my students took up robotics majors. It felt like my enthusiasm and stimulus touched the sky. I was also able to confront the challenge of teaching robotics online head-on. It was tough but I did it. I felt like my hard work was paying off finally. I could not be happier.

I will continue to embellish, inspire, and nurture young minds, and diligently continue to teach. I am proud to be a teacher.